ChinaNet-Online Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET) ("ChinaNet" or the "Company"), an integrated online advertising, precision marketing, data-analysis and management services platform, today announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter and first nine months of 2018. Third Quarter 2018 Highlights

Total revenues increased by 26.2% to $17.0 million from $13.5 million in the corresponding period of 2017. Revenues from search engine marketing and data service increased by 29.0% to $14.5 million from $11.3 million in the corresponding period of 2017. First Nine Months 2018 Highlights

Total revenues increased by 52.8% to $47.8 million from $31.3 million in the same period of 2017. Revenues from search engine marketing and data service increased by 66.5% to $40.4 from $24.3 million in the same period of 2017. Mr. Handong Cheng, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of CNET, stated, “During the third quarter of 2018, we continued to grow our revenue in our core online marketing business, optimize our cost structure, and develop our blockchain-powered ecosystem. In August 2018, we officially launched our blockchain-powered mobile application, BO!News. Since then, its registered user count has reached over 200,000, while its user participation rate continues to improve as we integrate more functionalities into the application. BO!News serves as a cornerstone of our user acquisition strategy as we build out our Business Opportunity Social Ecosystem (BOSE). We aim to create a trustworthy and transparent transaction environment for our users through BOSE. We also seek to help our business customers improve their operational efficiency by providing them with traceable and verifiable sales leads. Through our relentless innovation in AI and blockchain applications and the steady development of our new business initiatives, we should be able to generate continuous shareholder value.”

Mr. George Chu, Chief Operating Officer of CNET stated, “During the third quarter we maintained our growth momentum as our total revenues increased by 26.2% year-over-year, mainly due to a 29.0% increase in revenue from our search engine marketing and data service. At the same time, we continue to improve our operating efficiency. Our total operating expenses as a percentage of total revenues decreased to 22.0% from 24.9% in the same period of 2017, primarily driven by a 67.7% reduction in selling and marketing expenses and a 26.1% reduction in general and administrative expenses during the third quarter of 2018. Going forward, we seek to maintain our revenue growth, shrink our cost structure, and monetize our blockchain applications and ecosystem.”

Third Quarter 2018 Financial Results

TOTAL REVENUES Total revenues increased by 26.2% to $17.0 million in the third quarter of 2018 from $13.5 million in the corresponding period of 2017, primarily driven by the increase in search engine marketing and data service revenue.

Search engine marketing and data service revenue for the third quarter of 2018 increased by 29.0% to $14.5 million from $11.3 million in the corresponding period of 2017. The growth was primarily attributable to the rapid expansion of the Company’s search engine marketing client base as enterprises in China continued to migrate from other advertising and marketing channels to search engine marketing for its verifiable results and visible return on investment.

COST OF REVENUES AND GROSS PROFIT Cost of revenues was $16.6 million in the third quarter of 2018, compared to $12.2 million in the corresponding period of 2017. The growth was primarily attributable to the increase in costs associated with providing search engine marketing and data service, which was in line with the increase in the related revenues as discussed above.

Gross profit in the third quarter of 2018, as a result of increased cost of revenues, was $0.4 million, compared to $1.4 million in the corresponding period of 2017.

OPERATING LOSS Operating expenses in the third quarter of 2018 were $3.7 million, compared to $3.4 million in the corresponding period of 2017. As a percentage of total revenues, operating expenses decreased to 22.0% from 24.9% in the corresponding period of 2017, mostly due to the decreases in both sales and marketing expenses and general and administrative expenses.

Sales and marketing expenses in the third quarter of 2018 decreased by 67.7% to $239 thousand from $740 thousand in the corresponding period of 2017. As a percentage of total revenues, sales and marketing expenses decreased to 1.4% from 5.5% in the corresponding period of 2017. The decrease in the Company’s sales and marketing expenses in the third quarter of 2018 was primarily due to the decrease in advertising expenses for brand development of approximately $0.5 million.

General and administrative expenses in the third quarter of 2018 decreased by 26.1% to $1.7 million from $2.3 million in the corresponding period of 2017. The decrease in the Company’s general and administrative expenses was primarily due to a decrease in allowance for doubtful accounts of approximately $0.6 million and other general and administrative expenses of approximately $0.1 million. As a percentage of total revenues, general and administrative expenses decreased to 10.1% from 17.1% in the corresponding period of 2017.

Research and development expenses in the third quarter of 2018 decreased by 7.4% to $289 thousand from $312 thousand in the corresponding period of 2017. As a percentage of total revenues, research and development expenses decreased to 1.7% from 2.3% in the corresponding period of 2017. The decrease was primarily due to the decrease in headcount in the Company’s research and development department.

In the third quarter of 2018, the Company incurred $1.5 million of impairment of intangible assets as the carrying value of these intangible assets has exceeded their fair value which the Company does not expect to be recoverable.

Operating loss in the third quarter of 2018 was $3.4 million, compared to $2.0 million in the corresponding period of 2017.

NET LOSS Net loss attributable to ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc. was $3.0 million in the third quarter of 2018, compared to $2.1 million in the corresponding period of 2017.

BALANCE SHEET As of September 30, 2018, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $5.9 million, an increase of 100.5% from $3.0 million as of December 31, 2017. Advances from customers were $2.0 million as of September 30, 2018, compared to $3.6 million as of December 31, 2017, due to the promotional campaigns that the Company executed in 2017.

First Nine Months 2018 Financial Results For the first nine months of 2018, total revenues increased by 52.8% to $47.8 million from $31.3 million in the same period of 2017, primarily driven by a 66.5% year-over-year growth in revenues from search engine marketing and data service, which increased to $40.4 from $24.3 million in the same period of 2017.

Gross profit for the first nine months of 2018 was $2.0 million, compared to $4.3 million in the same period of 2017. Gross profit margin was 4.1% as compared to 13.8% in the same period last year. The margin decrease was primarily due to an increased revenue contribution from search engine marketing and data service in the first nine months of 2018, which has a relatively lower profit margin, as well as a decrease in gross margin of the internet advertising and data service.

Operating expenses for the first nine months of 2018 increased to $15.1 million from $7.8 million in the same period of 2017. The increase was primarily due to a $3.4 million impairment of intangible assets and a $5.3 million impairment of goodwill that the Company incurred in the first nine months of 2018. As a percentage of total revenues, operating expenses for the first nine months of 2018 were 31.5%, compared to 25.0% in the same period of 2017.

Sales and marketing expenses for the first nine months of 2018 decreased by 54.9% to $1.1 million from $2.4 million in the same period of 2017 primarily due to (1) the decrease in advertising expenses for brand development of approximately $1.2 million; and (2) the decrease in general expenses of the Company’s sales department of approximately $0.1 million due to the implementation of the Company’s cost control initiatives. General and administrative expenses for the first nine months of 2018 increased by 4.0% to $4.6 million from $4.4 million in the same period of 2017. Research and development expenses for the first nine months of 2018 decreased by 28.7% to $0.7 million from $1.0 million in the same period of 2017 primarily due to the decrease in headcount of the Company’s research and development department.

Net loss attributable to ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc. for the first nine months of 2018 was $12.9 million, compared to $4.0 million in the same period of 2017.

Recent Developments

On August 27, 2018, the Company announced a breakthrough upgrade of its blockchain-powered marketing and advertising mobile application called BO!News (????) with three brand new features: social networking, crowdfunding, and a revamped landing page.

On September 17, 2018, the Company sponsored the Global Media Blockchain Summit in Nha Trang, Vietnam, where the Company also presented its idea of developing a transparent business opportunity ecosystem and showcased BO!News to potential users and business partners.

About ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc. ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc., a parent company of ChinaNet Online Media Group Ltd., incorporated in the BVI (ChinaNet), is an integrated online advertising, precision marketing and data-analysis and management services platform. ChinaNet provides prescriptive analysis for its clients to improve business outcomes and to create more efficient enterprises. The Company leverages an optimization framework, provided by its comprehensive data-analysis infrastructure, to blend data, mathematical, and computational sciences into an outcome management platform for which it monetizes on a per client basis. ChinaNet uniquely optimizes and prescribes its clients’ decision making processes based on its proprietary ecosystem. For more information, visit www.chinanet-online.com.

Safe Harbor Statement This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of ChinaNet Online Holdings, Inc., which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including business uncertainties relating to government regulation of our industry, market demand, reliance on key personnel, future capital requirements, competition in general and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Certain of these risks and uncertainties are or will be described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements are based on ChinaNet's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting ChinaNet will be those anticipated by ChinaNet. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond the control of the Company) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. ChinaNet undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.